Work Covenant

A few weeks ago all of our leadership working across Africa were together in one place. One of us raised the issue of the seemingly impossible workload and how we could manage that and remain healthy and sane. 

Ironically, we decided to have an extra meeting after dinner to talk about it, but it was a good talk with people sharing what works for them and their frustrations in general. We agreed to work together on it. A few people said they would work up a sort of covenant to guide us.

This made me think of the “Leader’s Covenant” that Dr. Larrie Gardner (SIL Intl) wrote up several years ago (pasted in at the bottom). I pulled it up and inspired by it, I added a section on healthy work habits, working on what we had said as a group but also reflections drawn from my sabbatical and career counseling and coaching.  

I am coming up on a big work change, and am currently in-between job assignments. I move in a few weeks to a new location and am hoping I can use the new environment and job as a chance to make a fresh start at doing this RIGHT. (Hold me to it, will you?)

Leadership Covenant work habits

(Tim Tillinghast)

With God’s help, I recognize that the work is the Lord’s to accomplish, not mine. I will, therefore, seek to honor God in the way I work, not taking on more work than is healthy nor modeling incorrect work habits to those under me, thus creating unrealistic expectations.  I will not seek my significance in the work assigned to me. 

• I will keep a Biblical Sabbath, realizing my work will never be done.
• I will set additional boundaries around my time as needed, communicate those with my colleagues and not feel guilty about keeping  to those.
• I will not take work home with me, either physically or in my mind, so as to be fully available to those closest to me and to myself.
• I will seek to delegate to others, especially in my areas of weakness.
• I will not be afraid to say “no” when necessary.
• I will communicate to my supervisor if I feel like I have too much to do or if a deadline is unworkable and seek ways to adjust that. I will proactively seek to help those who report to me manage their workload.

I acknowledge that creating balance in my life allows me the reflective and restorative times necessary to fully leverage my strengths for the good of the group in the ways that God created me to. And that not doing this is actually detrimental to the work, the group and myself in the long run.

Leader’s Covenant

 (Source -  Larrie Gardner)

With God’s help, I will not use my position, title or authority to intimidate others or promote myself. I will use these to build others. 

With God’s help I will not pretend to know more or less than I do. I will ask for help when I need it and give credit. I will demonstrate an attitude of continual learning and growth.

With God’s help, I will be faithful to my spouse in body, mind, emotions and thought. I will maintain friends through openness, reciprocity, mutual support and genuine encouragement.

With the help of the Lord, I will strive to maintain a thought life that is wholesome and could be published without embarrassment. I will strive to be honest in my view of myself and others. I will choose to fill my mind with positive goodness; my default will be one of good will and trust in God., rather than mistrust, cynicism and suspicion. Trust begets trust.